Heat's Cole looking to build on strong effort versus Nets

MIAMI – — For Norris Cole, it was like finding the smallest of scratches on a luxury car.

Cole turned in perhaps his best overall performance of the season, but afterward pointed out the one blemish in Saturday's game against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored a season-high 12 points while being a key cog in holding Nets guard Deron Williams to just 10 points on 3 of 11 shooting in the Heat's 102-89 victory.

"Well, he did have 12 assists," Cole said. "Wasn't too happy about that."

In Cole's defense, eight of those assists came in the first quarter when the Heat were struggling defensively. Cole was also on the bench for most of that span, but spent the next three quarters making it difficult for Williams.

"Norris was amazing," forward LeBron James said. "His intensity was great on the ball against one of the best point guards in the league."

Cole's aggressive defense led coach Erik Spoelstra to increasing his playing time. He played 12 more minutes than starter Mario Chalmers. The 29 minutes were 10 more than his season average of 19.6.

"Deron Williams is one of those guards who can shoot it, and he can handle it and he can post," Cole said. "It's one of the tougher covers for a point guard in this league. With him, it's a little tougher but you have to lock in … I just tried to keep him out of his comfort zone. I just wanted to crowd him, make sure I take him to the help of our defense. I stayed aggressive, but not overly aggressive. It was about being active."

The effort could be the catalyst Cole needs to turn around his season. After a strong summer, Cole got off to a slow start. Before Saturday, he had yet to score in double-figures and had five games where he played 15 minutes or less.

He was given opportunity to prove his worth when Chalmers was injured against the Denver Nuggets Dec. 15, but shot just 3 of 12 in 39 minutes.

"Of course, I feel like I should be playing better," Cole said. "But it's a process. I understand you can't have it all at one once. I'm just putting my extra time in the gym. I want to be playing better. If I keep working hard, it will get better."

Cole said he feels he will eventually be able to provide the Heat what they expect of him. His role is to change pace on both ends of the court.

"His confidence is up," Chalmers said. "He's locking people down. … He played great defense (Saturday). That's what we need from him and that's what he does. He was just waiting for his opportunity. Now he's getting it and he's making the most of it."

Cole said the biggest reason for the improvement is experience. He endured several inconsistent stretches last season as a rookie. He says the game is finally starting to slow down, allowing him cut down on the mistakes that plagued him a year ago.

"I'm starting to see things that normally I didn't see," Cole said. "I understand what our coaches want from me. They want me to come in and bring speed and activity."